Foul play not suspected in Mt. Gilead man’s death

MT. GILEAD — Woodrow Steele, 70, of Mt. Gilead, was found dead behind a business near his home early Wednesday afternoon.

Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Det. Kelly Howell said Wednesday evening that there was no indication of foul play, but Steele’s death was being investigated as a homicide, which is standard when the cause of death is not obvious.

That Steele was behind Diamond Jim’s Relics was not unusual, Howell said. Steele went back there every day to feed the cats that live there. Diamond Jim’s Relics, at 500 Julius Chambers Ave., is near Steele’s residence and he kept an eye on the business for the owner when it was closed.

The body has been sent to the N.C. Medical Examiner’s Office where a preliminary autopsy on Thursday should reveal the cause of death.

The rumor that Steele was badly beaten, which started almost immediately, was not true, Howell said. There were no apparent injuries to the body.

Steele’s body was located when a highway patrol trooper made a routine vehicle stop nearby and a passerby told him that somebody was lying behind the store.

Steele did not come home on Wednesday, which alarmed his wife, and she and other family members had been searching for him.

Steel unsuccessfully ran for a seat on the Mt. Gilead Board of Commissioners in the last election. He was interested in municipal and state government and frequently attended meetings of public boards.